Holistic Path

Tip from Bah:
yeah sure a lot of things sayang nak buang but think of the time you spend reorganizing and cleaning and packing,

Tied To Your Past

• It is ok to keep mementoes that remind you of happy times, but if you have too many, your energies will be linked too strongly to your past, preventing new things from entering your life.


• The truth is that once you have relinquished those posessions, you often don't miss them at all.


• Checklist:
  -Do your possessions mainly reflect your past?
  -If you gave away several objects, will it have negative effect on your life?
  -Do you see hosts of memories in your rooms and realise no new ones are being created?


• You may believe that your possessions are visible symbols of the person you are. But when there are so many that they dominate your home, you may be subconsciously building a memorial to your past life. But once you have started this process of release, you will not look back and new energy will come flooding into your life.

Space-clearing techniques

• Smudging
• Aromatherapy
• Clapping
• Incense
• Salt

Junk Checklist
Categorised as junk if:
-broken, cannot be fixed
-you dislike it everytime you look at it
-unwanted present
-outmoded style, doesn't fit

Not junk if:
-you look at it with love and good feelings
-something you really enjoy using
-your work is helped by it

Energise

• Mirrors lift energy and expand spaces, but used with caution, esp bedroom
  can use to "double" energy. eg placed opposite dining table-"doubles" value of food on table. Mirror infront of workdesk, hahah double the workload
• Windchimes, slowdown flow of chi or encourage circulation
• Crystals- strong vibrational energy, activate career area, healing, attract more energy into a room, place near computer to absorb electromagnetic stress
• Water features, aquarium, encourage money flow, place in wealth area
• Lights/candles- bring strong yang energy to stagnant areas, raise energy in fame section
• Plants- versatile fengshui cures, healthy positive energy, alleviate problem areas
• Bamboo flutes - attach to overhead beams, reduce negative impact
• Metal and electrical items enhance energy of the west
• Paired items represent togetherness and romance, strengthen existing relationship, entice new partners
• Mirrors shaped like Pa Kua, placed only outside home near front door
  

Source: Clearing The Clutter- 100 ways to Energize your Life, Mary Lambert

1. Clear The Clutter
Clutter hinders creativity
eg. trying to paint a beautiful picture on a canvas that has scribbles on it

• Memorabilia- keep sampling, not all!
• Throw
  -clothes you don't wear
  -expired stuff
• Make a
  -monthly commitment- 30 mins
  -daily commitment- 5 mins
• 5 min rule
• File it, don't pile it!

2. Maximise Your Minutes

• Prioritise
• PDA to plan...
• Say "No"
  "Yes" will bring your more friends. "No" will keep you sane.
• Set time for
  -clutter clearing
  -DIY
  -prepare meals in advance
  -other money saving efforts

Realistic Planner
Arise by: _________
Pray: ______ to _____
Exercise: ____ to _____
Tasks to be completed (or started today)

1. xx
2. xx
3. x
5. (no more than 5, let's be realistic)

Chores to be done: _________
Recreation: _________________
Go to bed by: _______________---

3. Improve Your Image
Are you qualified to serve in the king's palace?

• good grammar/diction
• well groomed/poise
• knowledgable
• healthy and energetic

4. Eat Economically

• make shopping list and keep it with you
• cook in bulk- freezer bags (don't just cook, cook in bulk)
• Ask for doggie bag (makes 2 meals!)
• For family: treat yourself to eating out once a week, cook food that are normally expensive to eat out, eg pasta, korean

5. Cease comparing a.k.a Don't KUWTJ

Studies show ppl who live beneath their financial means have longer and more fulfilling lives
-> Contentment

6. Put Off Procrastination
"Don't put off until tomorrow what you can do today"
Life is too short to get stuck in analysis paralysis

Get started. Everything does not have to be perfect the first time around

No "I shoulds".

7. Write Down Your Vision

• Short term goal
• Long term goal
• Save $xxxx by _____
• Buy a piano by _____
• Get a diploma by _____
• Be specific, no "someday"s

8. Pare Your Presents

What statement are ou trying to make with your gift? Living a lie by implying you can afford? To gain favour?
Simple, from the heart, DIY
If a person can't appreciate gift unless expensive, then screw that person, not worth friendship

9. Eliminate Emotional Spending

Anger
If you peel the onion of why you are angry, at the core you will find that you're angry with yourself for tolerating someone's bad behaviour, not speaking up, putting yourself at risk.
Counsel/confront yourself and forgive and understand yourself

Depression
You're not the centre of the world. Do something for someone. Take the spotlight off yourself, you'll feel better.

10. Ponder Your Purchases

No impulsive buying especially if you:

• esp if you will go back to the place again soon
• another matter if you don't go there often, then grab opportunity if you really like it, eg on vacation, different part of town, else you'll regret, "should've"

Read the fine print, consider consequences, is the offer genuine, any catch?

Any unwanted long term commitments?

Just because hot deal, clearance sale, doesn't mean you must buy. Do you need it? Will you use it?

11. Ask for What You Want
(The worst that could happen, they say NO)

Don't retreat at the first hint of resistance. Don't think you don't deserve favourable treatment

CONTENTMENT

Gratefulness diary
Count your blessings - family and friends
- necessities
-job
-occasional treats

• Quartz-like relegation of negativity


• Principle energies of mind, body and spirit


• Dispel negative energy


• Beneficial RH side of brain - translate creative energies


• Cleanser of blood and enhancer - glandular activities, meditation


• Free inspiration to a very great degree


• Elevate above the mundane - unsurpassed sense of freedom


• Regenerative purpose

• Fire mineral


• Can be capable not of calming but extracting excess energy from you at times when concentration or a level head is required.
  Beneficial for anger or drastically impulsive behaviour and can lead a person to take time to examine matters more closely and to be in touch with intuition and most of all with common sense


• Help unblock barriers within right-hand brain activity often a cause of confusion, frustration and anger.
  Once free, the RH side of brain is capable of exploring and understanding the complexities of life. Take time and understand.
  Usually this is all that is required to appreciate the wonders of life

http://www.messies.com/
http://www.clutterless.org/
http://www.cluttersanonymous.net/
http://www.lifeorganizers.com/?src=enhance
http://www.myhouseandgarden.com/declutter.htm

Whether you're learning a new skill, planning something or implementing something new (eg. space clearing, organising), consistency is important because it all adds up.

Keep an egg timer so you don't go overboard.

Daily	Weekly	Monthly
5mins	35mins	2hrs 20mins
10mins	1hr 10mins	4hrs 40mins
15mins	1hr 45mins	7hrs

We hold on to things because we paid good money for it, but what's the use if your designer clothes gather dust in your closet? Donate it, it could be worth $30,000 a year to a woman who wears it to an interview and gets the job.

Get Started

• Change thought patterns and habits (File it, not pile it!)


• What do you stand to gain?


• Make it fun! Play your favourite music!


• Make To-Do lists


• Recognise you're not the same person 10 years ago.
  Interests/style change. Get rid of things that are no longer useful/meaningful
• Don't worry about setting up the perfect system, you can always perfect it later.
  Do be on lookout for ways to simplify everyday tasks
• If you're feeling a little stressed, it may be that things are getting out of control. Regain control by takin gtime out to organise something. You'll feel better immediately.
• Let go of the belief that once a thing enters into your possession, you are its keeper forevermore.

Self Confession

• I am disorganised because.... I'm slightly ADD, short attention span, I get excited about new things and leave old projects hanging.......
  ...... I'm obsessed about getting things dones, so I tend to purposely leave things in sight (instead of putting them away) to remind myself to finish the task...


• Top 3 things that keep me from getting organised
  - wake up late
  - distractions (internet)
  - hoarding


• What contributes to clutter - piling


• Clutter makes me feel......... irritated, disorganised


• I could get organised if.......... I spend a little time everyday


• I want to get organised because......... I'll feel good about myself


• If I could get organised, I could..... be more efficient

Acid Test

• If saving something in case you need it someday
  "Can I get another one easily and inexpensively if i need it someday?"
  If yes, THROW!


• "What's the worst that can happen if I throw?"
  If you can live the the consequences, THROW!


• "Have I used it in the past year?"


• "Do I need it for tax/legal purposes?"


• "Difficult to get another one?"


• If you take more than 60 secs to decide whether or not to keep it, you probably don't need it


• If it's ugly/unfixable - THROW!

Philosophy

Weigh the pain of letting go of stuff agains't the pain of living with it. Sure there's a 1% chance you'll miss it, but 99% you won't think of it again.
Have faith you made the right decision.

Accept that you can't control life by holding on to things. The secret is to let go.

Tips

The 30-Second Rule. “If it takes thirty seconds or less to do a job, do it immediately.”

When you get something out, put it back — right away.

Don't put things down - put them away!

File it! Not pile it!

Use the 80/20 Rule.
- You use 20% of your stuff 80% of the time
- Only 20% of the tasks are priority items

Having less means being able to enjoy what you have more

LABEL!

• Use egg timer so that you don't go overboard when doing things. PARETO
• Set up clutter collectors where clutter tends to collect, eg basket for loose change
• Unclutter the wall, if too many photos, rotate
• Label leftovers in fridge (date), keep labels and markers handy
• Divide into categories, label categories
  -Paper categories: newspaper, mags, mail, lists, receipts, scores, bills
  -Filing: insurance, financial, property, taxes, medical
  -Scores: Jazz, classical, wedding, easy listening, duets
• Organise recipes in binders, categories: desserts, potatoes, meat etc
• Paper tray, hanging folders for each child
• Find a home for everything, so that it has a place to go home to
• collect all clothes need mending- put in bag, label "mending", schedule time for it
• Designate place near door for
  -outgoing mail
  -library books
  -dry cleaner
• Before you set things down, ask yourself, is this where it belongs?
• Create a "home" for new acquisitions immediately, instead of setting it on your desk
• Plan weekly meals in advance, put on fridge
• Establish routines, eg laundry every monday, enter receipts on friday.
• Rather than save an entire brochure/flyer for one piece of info (eg tel. no), save just the info and discard the paper
• Time pockets, in 5-10 mins you can:
  clean out your wallet, write a quick note, sew a button
• Question everything you file. Do you really need this old cable? Why keep this paper which you will never look at again?
• Filter your junk as soon as it arrives
  -Toss em, file em, note down in diary (To Call, To Read....etc)
• For household: establish "clutter free zone" (like DMZ), if you brought it in.. you bring it out
• Set up inbox for each family member: forms, permission slips etc
• Keep frequently used cleaning supplies in bathroom and kitchen so you can clean as you go/at your convenience, use handcloth headed for laundry
• Go on a Commitments Diet. Get out of activities that are not aligned to your values/priorities. What you were committed to/believed in last time may not hold true now. Re-evaluate your values. (Family, Friends, Health, Career, Religion etc)

Space Savers

• Vertical storage, eg back of door organisers, racks
• wrapping paper/rolls- corner of closet
• dual use
  - trunk style coffee table
  - bed with drawer
  - covered bench
• Organise jewelry in ice cube containers
• Hang small collectibles in small pouches, clipped on clothes hanger
  

Source: The One Minute Organizer, Donna Smallin [640 SMA]